Fragile
by Sophia0665
Summary: A medical emergency threatens the life of a member of the LaMontagne family. "The best love is the kind that awakens the soul;that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds." - The Notebook.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello people! Don't worry, I'm not starting another story before finishing my other two! This story will have just five chapters, that will be posted one per day on the following days. If I don't manage to update on the weekend, I'll be back on Monday, don't worry.**

**I hope you enjoy it, I'm sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language.**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

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_"A man reserves his true and deepest love not for the species of woman in whose company he finds himself electrified and enkindled, but for that one in whose company he may feel tenderly drowsy." – George Jean Nathan_

It was a sunny day in Washington DC and Jennifer couldn't help but smile at the happiness of her children after a really cold winter. The blonde former profile sat at the floor of her porch of the family's six bedroom three floor house and just kept watching her children play, her mind hovering about everything that had happened in the last fifteen years.

She and Will had been together for fourteen years now. Fourteen years of love, ten years of marriage and five children. Neither in a million years she ever thought that the closed Jennifer that was once afraid of admit her feelings for the man she loved was going to become the devoted mother and wife that she was now. After their third child, JJ decided to stay home with them, not wanting to lose everything she had lost with Henry and Rebecca. Her decision was essential on Will's life, allowing the former detective to focus on his career and become Chief of Police, even at a young age.

"Gegor, stop!" JJ laughed, getting off her thoughts, and smiled at her four-year old, Peyton, running away from her twin brother, Gregory.

"Got you!" Gregory yelled and ran after his sister, jumping on her and making both of them feel on the grass of their garden. JJ and Will had bought the new house after JJ had gotten pregnant for the fourth time and they found out they were having twins. The four-bedroom house had gotten small and they wanted a bigger garden for their children to run.

"Help me, Faith!" Peyton yelled to their older sister. The eight-year old ran to her younger siblings and jumped on top of them, tickling Gregory.

"Faith, stop!" Gregory yelled in the middle of laughs. JJ laughed together as Rebecca approached her.

"Where's Henry?" The ten year old girl asked.

"He's inside, sweet." JJ replied, taking a strand of Rebecca's blonde hair from her face.

"He doesn't wanna come?" Rebecca asked a little hurt. Rebecca and Henry had always been friends since they were babies, they were close to each other because of the little difference of age but now Henry was growing up and didn't find the same games as funny as they were and Rebecca was finding a hard time to adjust herself to the idea of her older brother growing up.

"Daddy was helping him fix something in his bedroom, I don't know if they have finished yet." Rebecca nodded, sitting beside her mother. "Are you ok?" JJ wrapped one arm around her daughter's shoulder.

"Yeah, I just don't wanna play anymore." Rebecca laid her head in her mother's shoulder and JJ kissed her head. The blonde couldn't believe how big her kids already were, they were growing up in a blink of an eye and she had to admit that she was proud of the beautiful family that she had created, the cozy and lovely atmosphere of the house made her proud that she had been able to fight against her demons and the fear of having her kids growing up in a broken home like she did, raising those five kids with nothing less than love and respect.

"Mommy!" Peyton ran to JJ and hugged her, almost making her fall to behind.

"Hey." JJ laughed, trying to equilibrate while sitting at the small flight of stairs of her porch.

"Gegor is twickling me!" The little girl exclaimed, still not able to say her brother's name perfectly.

"Well, don't say you weren't enjoying!" JJ said, tickling Peyton's belly and making her laugh. JJ could hear Rebecca, Faith and Gregory laughing with them.

"Tickle mom!" Faith yelled and before JJ could react she was thrown behind, falling into her back at the floor. She felt hands in every part of her body, her neck, her belly, her armpit and on her knee. She knew that Rebecca was the one responsible for the knee, Will had found out she was extremely sensible to tickles on her knee when they were still dating and he passed the information to Henry, who told Rebecca and they decided that they wouldn't tell the youngest, being their 'little secret'. JJ's laugh could be heard from inside the house and it was infectious, making two men come from inside to see what was happening.

"Looks like someone is havin' fun." The Cajun accent hadn't disappeared even after almost fifteen years living away from New Orleans. That slow, laid-back drawl was able to make JJ fall on her knees every time she heard it, in a casual conversation or right in her ear, he whispering soft and lovely words while their bodies connected in the most intimate ways.

"We are plawing daddy!" Gregory yelled and smiled to his dad and his youngest copy. Henry had grown up to be a psychologically identical copy of Will. He was the same kind and gentle man that his father was but physically he continued the exactly same copy of JJ, the same blue eyes and blonde hair, but of course, shorter. Gregory was growing up mirroring himself in the two. Being a perfect mix of JJ and Will, with his dark hair and his blue eyes, all Gregory wanted was to be like his dad and his older brother, mixed with JJ's stubbornness.

"I see." Will laughed. "And it looks like even your momma is playin' now." Will smiled to JJ, who smiled back laughing, and sat back at the floor, rearranging her hair and her clothes that had been wrinkled.

"Let's just say I didn't choose to play." JJ laughed. "I was more attacked." Peyton laughed and sat in her mother's lap, looking up at her.

"But you like!" The little girl exclaimed while JJ rearranged her blonde curls that had been wrinkled too.

"Yes, I liked." JJ smiled, kissing her daughter's forehead. "Did you finish what you were doing?" She asked, this time looking up at Will and Henry.

"Yeah, dad helped me to fix the shelves. They were falling." Henry replied, sitting in the white couch in front of his mother. Rebecca quickly ran and sat by his side.

"Can we have some ice cream?" Faith asked, looking at her mother. "It's hot!" The little girl exclaimed jumping up and down in front of her mother.

"Hot?" Will stared at her. "Aren't you feelin' this cold wind comin'?" He asked, wrapping his arms around the eight-year old girl and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Dad!" Faith yelled as she was put upside down and started hitting her father's back. JJ started laughing as she got up from the floor and picked Peyton.

"Well, since dad and Faith are not up for some ice cream, I think we can have some, right?" JJ asked playfully to her other kids. Henry and Rebecca laughed as they followed their mother to inside the house.

"Dad is the one who doesn't want ice cream!" Faith yelled from her father's shoulder while Gregory started jumping in front of Will to help Faith.

"Another one who doesn't want ice cream, momma." Will said to JJ as he entered the kitchen after her, now carrying Gregory and Faith.

"We want ice cream!" Gregory yelled as Henry, Rebecca and Peyton sat at the dining room. JJ laughed as she approached her husband, trying to get hold of her kids.

"You better put them down before their heads explode." JJ smiled.

"Cool!" Gregory yelled, making everyone laugh. "Can my head explode? Pwease, pwease, pwease?" Will and JJ laughed as he passed the little boy to her and she put him in his chair. Will put Faith in the floor and realized something.

"I bet no one washed the hands, right?" Will asked and next thing he and JJ heard were five chairs being pushed away, making an awful noise in the ground and suddenly they were alone at the kitchen.

"You know how to be worst then them, hm." JJ smiled to Will as she picked up the two pots of ice cream from the freezer. She was glad for having the man as her husband and father of her children, and every day she thanked him for not giving up on her all the time she thought about giving up on herself.

"That's my charm." Will said with a smirk as he wrapped his arms around JJ's waist. She laughed as she put the pots on the table and turned herself in his arms.

"Actually it's this Southern thing, you know." She replied with a smirk as she slid her hands through his chest. Will smiled to the woman who made his heart beat faster in the moment she walked in that crime scene. Innumerous times he laughed thinking about how cliché he had gotten after they met, capable of doing things he never thought about before for the blonde that he loved.

"Right." He replied, taking a strand of her hair out of her face. "You were already on your knees as soon as you heard my voice on the phone, asking for your help, hm."

"Absolutely." JJ smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. A shiver ran down their spines, their bodies touching each other, each of them feeling the effect they had on each other. Will slid his hands to JJ's back and then her butt, squeezing it. JJ smiled, shaking her hand and leaned in, their mouths touching. The couple got lost, forgetting about where they were, their tongues fighting a silent fight of love and desire.

"Eww!" Peyton yelled as soon as she entered the kitchen and ran to under the table, hiding herself.

"What?" Will asked as they broke the kiss and JJ laughed, noticing Peyton's little body under the table.

"Where's ladybug?" Rebecca entered with Gregory holding her hand.

"I think she ran away, angel." Will said as JJ laughed and help Gregory to sit at his chair.

"Adybugs don't ran, daddy! They flwy!" Gregory said, extending his arms as a plane and both JJ and Will laughed.

"Sorry, buddy, my mistake." Will shuffled his hair, laughing. Faith and Henry arrived, sitting at the table.

"Where's Peyton?" Faith asked while JJ poured her some ice cream.

"She's flwyng!" Gregory yelled again and Peyton laughed from under the table. Henry had already seen her when he entered the room, so he decided to play along.

"Oh, poor little girl. She decided to go exactly today that we have mint chocolate chip ice cream! It's her favorite!" As soon as Henry said, Peyton pushed a chair and appeared from under the table.

"I'm here!" She jumped happily and everyone laughed. JJ finished pouring the ice cream for Gregory and then grabbed her little girl, sitting her in her chair and the blonde sitting beside Will. Will smiled to her and kissed her cheek. He turned himself and watched his kids all talking, playing and laughing. He knew he was a lucky man, with a beautiful wife, amazing children, a good job and a life filled of love. Of course they had some obstacles in their way as all families have but they were able to sort it out and continue, able to continue their happiness.

"I think I forgot the napkin." JJ said to herself as she watched her kids with green ice cream spread in their faces, especially Peyton and Gregory, who decided to feed each other with their eyes closed. Will laughed and kissed her cheek.

"Got it." Will got up from his chair and walked over the conjugated kitchen, opening the upper cabinet and grabbing the napkin holder. It happened in a fraction of a second. JJ watched all of her napkins fly over the kitchen, falling to the ground. She didn't have time to ask Will what happened, because the next thing she saw was her husband holding onto his chest and falling to the ground.

_"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." – Robert Frost_

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**Let me know what you think :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Glad that you are enjoying it, hope you like this new chapter.**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

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_"In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away." – Shing Xiong_

"William." JJ said to no one in particular as she pushed her chair and ran to her husband. He lied in the ground, his arm still in his chest, but his eyes remained closed. "William." JJ gave him small slaps on the face, all the way watched by their children who were terrified by the image of their daddy lying unconscious in the kitchen floor. "Will. Talk to me." JJ tried desperately to wake him up. But nothing. He didn't respond as JJ leaned herself into his chest and there was no heart beat to be heard. "Henry! Grab my cell phone! Now!" She yelled, making Henry run to the living room and her other children get up from their seats.

"Mom." Faith called JJ, while she checked Will's pulse. Nothing. His breath was empty too; nothing was going out of his nose.

"Don't come here." JJ almost yelled, trying to protect her children. She could see in their faces that they were scared and she wanted nothing more than hug then and tell them that everything was going to be fine. But she didn't know. She really didn't know of things were going to be fine and she needed to help her husband. "Stay where you are." She said calmer now. "Everything is going to be fine." She said, reassuring to them and even to herself.

"Mom." Henry came running and gave the cell phone to his mother. He stared for a moment his father's body lying on the kitchen and JJ noticed his face.

"Stay with your siblings." JJ whispered to him as she unlocked her cell phone with her hand shaking. She quickly dialed the three number that could save them while her other hand remained in her husband's chest, in the hope of a single beat.

_"911 Emergency, what are you reporting?"_ A male voice echoed through the cell phone's line.

"My, my husband." JJ found herself speaking in a frantic voice, for the first time she found herself without words in her mouth.

_"Ma'am, I need you to stay calm. Take a deep breath ma'am. Can you tell me your name?"_ JJ breathed, air filling her lungs for the first time in minutes. She had to admit that she hadn't remembered the last time she had breathed properly.

"Jennifer. Jennifer Lamontagne." She said as she heard a cry behind her. Turning herself she watched as tears felt down Peyton's face and Rebecca hugged her sister from behind.

_"Ok, Jennifer. Is there anyone else with you?"_

"My children. Oh God, they are here. You need to send an ambulance. He's not breathing and he has no pulse."

_"Jennifer, what happened to your husband?"_ The dispatcher said as he typed JJ's location on his computer, already sending an ambulance.

"He felt. I mean, he put his hand on his chest and then felt to the ground. I checked. He has no pulse and he's not breathing. You need to send an ambulance, I'm a former Federal Agent and he's the Chief of Police!" She almost yelled, trying to use their positions to accelerate the process.

_"Jennifer, an ambulance is already on your way. Now I need you to put me on the speaker and put the cell phone on the floor."_ JJ nodded as he could see her and she did was she was told to. _"Ok. Kids, you're dad is going to be fine but you need to stay calm for mommy, ok?"_ The dispatcher said as he heard sobs and cries coming from the distance. JJ turned to look at them and noticed that Faith was sitting in the floor a little far than the others, the little girl holding her brother in her lap. _"Jennifer, you said you were a Federal Agent. Do you know how to perform CPR?"_

God. CPR. She knew. Of course she knew. She was taught how to perform CPR, but in that moment, she couldn't. She just couldn't. She didn't know anymore how to do that. It was her husband lying on the ground and she couldn't thing straight, she couldn't remember how to perform CPR. "I, I, I don't know." She simply replied.

_"Ok. Listen to me and focus on my voice. Raise his head and open his mouth so the air can enter better, ok?"_ JJ did was she was told, nodding.

"Ok."

_"Listen to what I'm about to tell you. I want you to place the heal of your hand on his breast bone, in the center of his chest."_ JJ did what he told her. _"Now you gotta push down hard and fast. Ok? Keep doing compressions. We're already on the way."_ She started pushing, Will's body moving as she worked on his chest. But the movements were just a response to her movements, his body remained unconscious.

"We're in the kitchen sir!" JJ yelled as she continued to push hard fast. "Will! Honey! Wake up!" JJ yelled, as if her words could make him wake up and take her off that nightmare. "Please, baby. I need you." Her energy was already ending. He was a tough and muscular man and she was spending all of her strength to make his body respond to her incentives.

_"Jennifer, cover his mouth with your mouth and blow two regular breaths in the lungs about 1 second each. His chest should rise up with each breath."_ The dispatcher said and she leaned down, breathing inside of his body.

"He's breathing a little bit, sir. He's taken a breath." JJ took a deep breath, tears filling her eyes as she watched Will's chest rising a little. She put her ear in his mouth and could feel the air entering his body. The doorbell suddenly rang, a wave of relief filling JJ's body. "Henry, open the door for me, baby, please." She said, her voice coming back to normal.

_"You did great, Jennifer."_ The dispatcher told her as Henry ran to the door to open it. _"Now, you have to let the medics work on him, ok?"_ JJ nodded, her hand still on Will's chest. She heard footsteps approaching her but she have to admit that was hard to simply let him go. _"Bye, Jennifer."_ The dispatcher said through the line.

_"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."- Buddha_

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**Let me know what you think. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the views and reviews, I'm happy that you are enjoying this!**

**Answering the guest's question, yes, something like this happened to Josh Stewart (yes, the guy who plays Will) and this story was actually inspired by this. After I heard about that, I just couldn't take my mind off this idea. Last year Josh contracted Salmonella from feeding ducks and went into cardiac arrest, his wife performed CPR on him with the help of a 911 dispatcher. There's even a video on internet where she's thanking the dispatcher for saving her husband's life. I was going to explain all of that in the last chapter, but since it was asked :))**

**Hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

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_"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." – Mother Teresa._

"Ma'am, we're going to help him but you need to step away a little." One of the medics touched JJ's arm as the other one was already kneeling down by Will's side working on him. JJ gave a step back, almost stumbling on Peyton, who was now quietly sobbing while sucking her little thumb.

"Everything is going to be fine, baby." JJ bent down at her level, picking her up. Rebecca wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, as JJ turned herself a little to reach Gregory, who got up from the floor and went to his mother's lap. Henry walked over Faith and helped her to get up, hugging his sister and three medics worked on Will, already putting him on a gurney.

"Mommy." Peyton whispered and JJ kissed her forehead.

"Everything is going to be fine, ok?" JJ said as she looked to all of her children. "They're taking daddy to the hospital so they can help him, ok?" All of them nodded, as Peyton and Gregory leaned their heads in JJ's shoulder. The medics raised the gurney and walked out of the house with Will leaning on in. JJ followed them outside, carrying two kids and the other three following her.

She had to admit that she was at least a little surprised with the scene outside. Her neighbors were in her garden, trying to get any information about the LaMontagnes. They were known in the neighborhood, they were loved and cared. She could see the Martin's watching the commotion from their house across the street, Francis holding into his wife's, Caroline, waist with their twins, Mary and Elizabeth in front of them, waiting for anything they could hear about their friends; Mary and Elizabeth had the same age as Faith and they loved to play together. The Johnson's were already in JJ's garden. They lived in the house to the right and Grant and Tracy's son, Jack, was in the same class as Rebecca.

"Ma'am, if you want to ride with us, you can go." One of the medics said to JJ. "But only you." He completed as he looked at her kids. JJ stared at her kids, unsure of what to do.

"JJ!" A brunette woman around JJ's age approached them, hearing their conversation. "Go. I can keep them." Debra, the woman who lived to the left of them said to JJ, as the blonde watched Debra's husband, Carl, holding their four kids in front of their house.

"I want mommy!" Peyton grumbled, wrapping her arms tightly around JJ's neck. She knew that she shouldn't leave her kids alone but she wasn't in condition to drive nor she couldn't simply stay home with them waiting for news about Will.

"I can ride them to the hospital." Debra said to JJ, noticing the struggle in the mother's eyes.

"Ma'am, we need to go now." The medic said. He didn't want to interrupt the moment, it was breaking his heart to see those kids like that but they needed to take that man to the hospital. His chances to live were lowering each minute.

"Thanks." JJ smiled a little as she handed Gregory to Debra. The little boy went with no problems, different from his sister.

"Mommy." Peyton grumbled as Debra tried to grab the little girl, who didn't want to let go of her mother's neck.

"Ms. Debra is going to take you to the hospital, ok?" JJ said, looking at all of her kids. "Mommy needs to go with daddy." Peyton started crying, JJ knew she was scared, but she needed to go with Will and she knew that they were in good hands with Debra. She slid her hand through Henry's cheek, who nodded at his mother to let her knowing that everything was fine.

"Ma'am." The medic put his hand behind JJ's back and she nodded, walking over the back of the ambulance. Will was laying on the gurney with an oxygen mask in his face and an IV already on his arm. JJ sat by his side, grabbing his hand as the medic sat by her side. Across them, the other medic checked Will's pulse.

"How old is he, ma'am?" The medic across JJ asked her.

"He is 45." JJ replied, looking at Will's face. His eyes opened and he tried to speak. "Don't talk, ok?" She slid her hand trough his forehead, taking off his hair that was falling into his eyes. "We're going to the hospital and you're going to be fine."

"Ki...kids." Will whispered, taking off his oxygen mask. JJ quickly grabbed his hand, putting the mask back.

"They're with Debra. She's taking them to hospital, where we're going to wait for you." Her eyes filled with water and she couldn't help the tears that streamed down her cheeks. "Stay with me, ok?" She said as Will nodded, wiping the tears from her face. The whole drive passed blankly to JJ. She wasn't aware of what the medics where saying or doing on the ambulance, her only focus was on Will, who kept his eyes open during the whole ride. JJ kept her eyes wide open, focused on those green eyes that she loved, afraid that might been the last time that she would see his eyes.

"Ma'am, we are here." The medic said to JJ as the doors of the ambulance opened and she realized they were already on the hospital. JJ leaned and kissed Will's forehead, letting go of his hand so they could take him.

"Male, 45. Cardiac arrest. He needs to be taken to surgery right now." JJ heard the medic saying to the nurses who helped to take the gurney off the ambulance and carry into the hospital's hallway. JJ quickly jumped off the ambulance and followed Will.

"Surgery?" She asked to one of the nurses, who stopped her on her tracks. JJ watched as nurses and doctors took Will to the end of the hallway, getting out of her sight as they passed a big door.

"We need to stabilize him right now, ma'am. There's nothing you can do for him but wait, he's in good hands." The nurse reassured JJ." Why don't you go over the reception to fill his forms?" JJ took a deep breath, realizing that the nurse was right. Right now there was nothing more she could do for Will but wait.

JJ followed the plates of the hospital till she reached the reception. Her breath was irregular, what was once a ponytail was now a messy ball of hair and she realized she was in short shorts and flip flops in the hospital, and despite the hot air of outside, a cold wind filled the hallways on the installation.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" A brunette nurse in her mid-fifties smiled to JJ as she approached the counter. JJ smiled back, looking at the tag who said 'Catherine'.

"Hi, Catherine." JJ said, her breath irregular. "I, I need to fill the forms for my husband. He was just taken into surgery." Catherine noticed the struggle in the woman's voice and the pain in her eyes.

"Right, Mrs.?"

"LaMontagne. Jennifer LaMontagne." JJ replied. Despite all the difficult that she had put into marry Will, she couldn't deny of how perfectly her name matched with his and every time she said those two words, she was proud of being his wife.

"Mrs. LaMontagne, why don't you leave his documents with me? I can fill the forms for you and you can wait at the waiting room over there." Catherine smiled to JJ, trying to cal her down. JJ took a deep breath, putting her hands in her pockets.

"I, I didn't bring any of his documents. I mean, the house was a chaos and." The nurse smiled again to JJ, trying to calm her down.

"It's ok, honey." She put her hand on top of JJ's. "You can go to the waiting room over there and we can talk about that later, ok?" JJ nodded and half smiled.

"My kids must be arriving. Can you point me to them?"

"What's your husband's name, sweet?"

"William. William LaMontagne Junior. They must look for him." Catherine nodded.

"I'll let them knowing." Catherine smiled and JJ walked over the empty waiting room. She sat in one of the chairs, not sure of what to do. She stared at the ceiling, still not believing in everything that had happened. It all seemed like a nightmare. She put her hands in her pockets, feeling her cell phone that she didn't even know it was there and dialed the first number that came into her mind.

"Hello?" The voice echoed through the line and JJ had to smile of how Jack was becoming an identical copy of his dad, even the voice was becoming the same.

"Jack? It's Aunt JJ. Is Emily there?" JJ quickly said.

"Sure." Jack replied, noticing the tone of JJ's voice. "Is everything ok?"

"Not exactly, sweet. But I need to talk to her, ok?" JJ took a deep breath, not wanting to worry the boy.

"One minute." JJ heard Jack's footsteps then he telling Emily that she was on the phone.

"JJ?" Emily greeted her.

"Em? Are you busy?" JJ said, water filling her eyes. She knew that she would break down at any moment and she needed someone to support her.

"No. Honey, what happened?" Emily asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I'm at the hospital. Will went into cardiac arrest. He's in surgery." JJ said, tears falling through her cheeks.

"Kids?" Emily quickly asked and JJ could hear the sound of her keys at the other side of the line.

"Debra is bringing them. I'm at the St. Patrick's."

"Ok. I'll be there in ten minutes. Call me if anything happens, ok?"

"Ok. Can you bring me a jacket or something? I'm in short shorts and flip flops."

"Of course. See you." Emily replied, worried with her friend.

"See you." JJ turned it off, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears of her cheeks. The kids should arrive any minute and she needed to be strong for them. She knew they were scared, she was too, but she needed to be their support.

"Mom!" JJ was taken from her thoughts when she heard Rebecca's voice. In seconds she felt her daughter's arms around her neck and Debra came into her vision. She was holding a sleeping Gregory in her arms, while Henry held Peyton, her little eyes red of crying and her head leaned in her brother's shoulder, while she held her fluffy pink frog. Faith was silent behind Henry, looking at the floor.

"Shh, dad is already with the doctors." She said while she rubbed Rebecca's back and got up. "I don't know how to thank you." JJ said to Debra as she picked Gregory from her arms.

"You don't need to thank me, JJ." Debra shook her head. "He slept during the car ride." She explained and JJ nodded. "We grabbed a bad with some things, including Will's wallet, I thought it would be useful." JJ smiled.

"Thank you so much."

"Do you need me to stay here?" Debra asked.

"There's no need." JJ shook her head as Peyton extender her arms to her. "I already called a friend and she's coming." Debra nodded.

"Do they know anything?"

"He's in surgery." JJ replied, as she picked up Peyton in her other arm. "He went into cardiac arrest." They both nodded Henry's shocked face, he was old enough to understand the danger that his father was.

"I'll let you alone. Call me if you need anything." Debra said and JJ nodded, as she watched the brunette kiss Henry's forehead and go away.

"Mom." Henry was the first to say something after Debra left.

"Help me to put your brother in these two chairs." JJ said to Henry, who opened the bag and grabbed a blanket, covering the chairs to make it more comfortable to his younger brother. Henry grabbed Gregory from his mother's arms and put him on the chairs. JJ sat beside him with Peyton in one leg and she extended her other arm so Faith entered in her embrace. Henry sat beside her as Rebecca stood in front of her.

"Mommy." Peyton leaned her head in her mother's shoulder.

"Your daddy got sick." JJ started, looking at them. "His heart stopped beating and now the doctors are helping his heart to enter in the right pace."

"When you called the medic, where you helping him too?" Faith asked.

"Yes. When I put pressure in his heart and pressed, I was trying to make it beat again." Faith nodded. JJ noticed that Henry was silently, he clearly knew that the situation of his dad was dangerous.

"Is he going to be ok?" Faith looked up at JJ, tears in her eyes.

"I don't know, sweet." JJ needed to be honest. "But the doctors are doing everything they can to help daddy and we just have to wait." Peyton nodded, leaning her head in her mother's chest. "I know you are scared. Mommy is scared too. But we need to stay together no matter what happens, ok?" They nodded as JJ extended her hand so Henry and Rebecca put theirs on hers. She squeezed their hands, letting them knowing that she was there for them.

"JJ." Emily appeared at their sight, followed by Penelope and Marina. Marina replaced JJ when she left the BAU and ended up dating and marrying Morgan. She was now a good friend of the girls.

"You didn't need to." JJ started speaking as they approached them but Penelope quickly interrupted her.

"Don't even start. How is he?" She asked, noticing the pain in her eyes.

"I don't know." JJ shrugged her shoulders. "He's in surgery."

_"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love." – Max Muller_

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**Let me know what you think. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much everyone who is reading and reviewing, I'm really happy that's you're enjoying this. **

**Special thanks to kareeenx. Your review meant a lot to me since English is not my first language, so is not that easy for me to write, I try my best. Thank you so much!  
**

**Hope you enjoy this new chapter, English is not my first language so forgive me any mistakes.**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

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_"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." - Lao Tzu_

The three women nodded as Marina bent down at the level of the chairs.

"What do you say about going to the cafeteria and see if they have some ice cream?" She took the hair out of Peyton's face, but the little girl shook her head to her godmother.

"We were having some ice cream when dad got sick." Faith whispered as JJ kissed her forehead.

"Ok. Don't you wanna eat something? Walk around the hospital?" Marina was trying her best to make the kids and even JJ relax at least a little. She could see in their faces they were scared and it broke her heart to see them like that.

"Can I go grab some soda?" Rebecca asked JJ.

"Of course." She gave her daughter a half smile. "I have no wallet." She gave an apologetically look to Marina.

"Please, Jay." Marina rolled her eyes as she got up and extended her hand to Rebecca.

"I'll go too." Faith said as she got down from her mother's lap and grabbed Marina's other hand.

"Peyton, Henry?" Marina asked. The young boy just shook his head and Peyton buried her face a little more in her mother's chest. Marina gave them a small smile and walked away with the two girls.

"What happened?" Emily asked as she stood in front of JJ, reaching for her hand. The blonde grabbed her friends hand and squeezed it.

"He got up, felt a pain in his chest and next thing I know I was performing CPR on him." JJ explained as Emily nodded, caressing her hand.

"Where were you?" Penelope asked Henry as she sat beside him. He leaned his head in his godmother's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him.

"With them." Henry replied, his voice weak. "They were so scared, Aunt Pen." The young boy shook his head as he looked at his youngest siblings and buried his face in his godmother's chest. JJ bit her lip trying to fight back her tears that streamed down her cheeks. In a surprisingly movement, Peyton got rid of her mother's embrace and jumped into his brother's lap, wiping the tears in his face.

"Mommy said fine." The young girl said as Henry held her in his lap. "No cry." JJ smiled at the interaction between them. Penelope extended her arm behind Henry and reached JJ's back, caressing it.

"So why are you crying?" Henry asked.

"Me sad. Me not cry."

"Well, I'm sad too. That's why I'm crying."

"No cry. I make you no cry." Henry let out a little laugh as she wrapped her little arms around his chest, buring her face into it. Henry put his arms protectively around the little girl, kissing her forehead.

"Hey." JJ started as she slid her hand through Peyton's hair. "I need to talk to the nurse about dad."

"I'll keep an eye on them." Garcia quickly replied as JJ smiled to her.

"Are you going to be fine?" She asked Henry, who nodded his head. When JJ looked at Peyton, she had her eyes closed, clearly tired of everything. "I love you." She kissed Henry's, Peyton's and Gregory's forehead as she grabbed the bag that Debra had taken and walked over the receptionist, followed by Emily.

"Hi." JJ smiled to the same nurse whom she had talked before. "I have my husband's documents." JJ said as she searched through Rebecca's backpack, till she found Will's wallet.

"I'll just fill his forms and they I'll get it back to you, right Mrs. LaMontagne?" Catherine smiled warmly as she took the documents from JJ's hand.

"Thanks. And please, call me Jennifer" JJ smiled back to the nurse, who nodded. "Do you know anything about him?"

"Not yet." The nurse shook her head. "But I'll let you know if I know something, ok?" JJ nodded, smiling as she walked away from the reception. Emily smiled to the nurse as well and followed JJ as she walked adrift through the hospital's hallway. She stopped as she found an empty hallway, with no nurse neither patients. The blonde just leaned herself in one of the walls, sliding till she reached the floor.

"JJ." Emily sat beside her, knowing that was just a matter of time for her to break down.

"What am I supposed to do?" Tears felt down JJ's cheek as she slid her hand through her hair. "I need to be strong for them. I'm their mother; I need to be their support but how in earth I'm supposed to do that when I'm a mess inside?" JJ raised her voice a little as Emily wrapped her arms around her friend, bringing her closer.

"No one is judging your behavior right now, Jay. You're hurt, you're scared, and you're shocked. You need to be strong for then but you don't need to be wonder woman. They know you're hurting too and no one is going to expect more of you at this moment." Emily rubbed JJ's back as she talked to her.

"He was dead in front of me, Emily." JJ started sobbing. "His heart stopped, he stopped breathing. He was lying lifeless in our kitchen floor!"

"But you managed to help him. You helped him and the medics were called in time. He's getting the help he needs right now." Emily tried to calm her friend as she caressed her back.

"They were so scared, Em." JJ looked up at her friend, her eyes already red. "I could see in their eyes the fear of the situation, they didn't understand a single thing and all I wanted was to hold them in my arms and tell them that everything was going to be fine." JJ took a deep breath. "But I couldn't. I couldn't because I was afraid too. I didn't know if things were going to be fine."

"Shhh, you did everything you could and those kids are so lucky to have you as their mother. You were saving their dad's life and they know that. They know and they are thankful for that." JJ nodded, her head still in Emily's shoulder, where she kept it for another minutes, trying to wrap her mind around the situation. Taking a deep breath, she got rid of Emily's embrace and leaned in the wall, rearranging her ponytail.

"Can you believe I forgot how to perform CPR?" JJ let out a little laugh and she sniffed. Emily noticed the change in her friend's humor and decided to play along.

"How come?" Emily let out a little laugh.

"I don't know." JJ supported herself on the floor and got up, helping her older friend to get up. "I think I was so nervous that I just couldn't think straight." JJ shook her head and she grabbed her bag from the floor. "I'm just thankful that the medic helped me."

"Things worked right, then." Emily put her arms in her shoulders as they walked to the bathroom, JJ leading the way.

"Yeah." JJ smiled as she entered it. "God, I look like hell." JJ said as she looked herself in the mirror. Without thinking twice she turned on the water and throw it on her face.

"I brought you some jeans, a jacket and flats. It's kind of hot so I just imagined you could change your shoes just to look better." JJ laughed as she opened her bag.

"Debra made me a bag too; I just don't know what the kids put inside." As she searched through the bag she found a pair of flats, another top and jeans. Just seeing the choice she could see that Rebecca was responsible for that. "My bet is that Rebecca chose it." JJ said as she showed the clothes to Emily. The flats were golden with little colored stones on top of it. The jeans had golden details and the top was pink with golden stones on it.

"Your daughter definitely loves gold." Emily laughed as JJ laughed too. Since she was a little girl, Rebecca made sure that all of her things had at least one golden detail and now that she was growing up, she was trying to make her younger sisters and even her mother enter on that too.

"I'll change just the top and the flats. Thanks for bringing me your stuff, anyway." Emily shook her head as JJ entered one of the cabins to change.

"You know that there's no problem. And my flats would be big to you anyway." JJ let out a little laugh as she left the cabin, puting her tank top and her flip flops in her bag.

" And thanks for being here too." JJ smiled as she washed her hands.

"We're family, you know that." Emily locked arms with JJ as they left the bathroom. "I wouldn't be anywhere else." JJ smiled.

"How are the kids?" She asked Emily, trying to wrap her mind in something else

"Well, Jack is already looking out for colleges for next year. Lucas is excited with his first year of High School and Lucy is excited with Elementary." JJ laughed at the remembrance of the Prentiss-Hotchner kids.

"Hotch?" JJ asked. The former Unit Chief had retired just a few weeks ago and she hadn't talked to him after that. She knew that he was probably already tired of doing nothing all day.

"He's feeling so useless!" Emily shook her head as JJ laughed. "He keeps complaining that he has nothing to do all day and that his kids are all grown up and even Lucy doesn't wanna play with him anymore." JJ shook her head, laughing.

"Well, I have to agree with him. When kids are at the school the house gets so empty. But tell him to spend some time with me as soon as my kids arrive from school." Emily laughed. "He will want to go back to the BAU in one second!"

"Maybe he should write a book like Rossi and Reid." Emily laughed and JJ had to laugh together. "Speaking about, did you speak with Rossi these days?" Emily asked JJ.

"Rossi is good. There's a nurse staying with him at his house, it makes him feel less lonely. But it's complicated. His head is still the same but his body isn't." Emily nodded at the remembrance of the oldest of th group. He had already reached the age of 79 and his body was already feeling the heaviness of the age.

"Is Reid still involved with that girl, hm, Yvonne?" Emily asked.

"You are the one who sees him every day and you ask me?" JJ smiled as Emily laughed.

"He doesn't talk too much about that with me." Emily shrugged her sholders as she noticed they were approaching the waiting room.

"They broke up." JJ explained. "He didn't tell me too much about it, but it seemed that things weren't working out for a few months." Emily nodded as they approached their waiting room, were Faith, Rebecca and Henry were sitting in a corner, whispering while drinking their sodas and Penelope and Marina were sitting talking a few seats away from them. When JJ looked at the sleeping Gregory, she couldn't help but laugh.

"As a babysitter, you two are amazing FBIs agents." JJ said approaching Penelope and Marina, who stared clueless at her.

"Are you ok buttercup?" Penelope quickly got up, noticing JJ's eyes still a little red, and hugged her. JJ took a deep breath in her friend's embrace.

"I'm fine, Pen." JJ whispered.

"But what did you mean with?" Penelope asked stepping away a little from JJ and the blond pointed Gregory. The little boy was sound sleep in the chairs and his sister was really enjoying the moment. Peyton was kneeling down in front of him, making a pink moustache in Gregory's face.

"Oh, God." Marina got embarrassed as they started laughing. JJ shook her head, as she put her bag on the floor and walked over her twins, sitting beside Gregory.

"Hi." The blonde said to her daughter as the little girl stared scared to her mother.

"Hi." Peyton whispered as she stopped with the colored pen.

"Having fun over there?" JJ asked as Peyton capped the pen.

"Sorry." Peyton said as JJ laughed.

"Come here." The little girl jumped into her mother's arms, kissing her cheek. "You know your brother won't be happy when he wakes up, right?"

"Me ask sorry."

"Well, you have to. But, he's still not going to be happy." Peyton gave her mother a little smile. JJ just shook her head, hugging her daughter.

"Did you talk to the doctor?" Henry sat beside his mother.

"No, buddy, I didn't." JJ shook her head. "The nurse said that all we have to do is waiting till the doctors finish the surgery." Henry nodded. "Why don't you go home? There's nothing you can do here and you would feel more comfortable at your bed."

"I'm staying, mom." Henry said.

"So do I." Rebecca replied as Faith nodded too. "By the way, you look really beautiful." Rebecca praised her mother's pink top that felt a little over her shoulders. JJ gave a little laugh, as she heard Emily laughing from the distance too.

Five hours passed. Five endless hours that JJ spent sitting in the cold uncomfortable chair of the waiting room. Her mind used that time to hover around endless scenarios, thinking about what could happen. She tried to stay positive, tried to think about having her husband back at their home, his laugh when he was playing with their kids, his body around hers in a cold winter night. But she also couldn't help but think about what could happen if he didn't survive. What could happen if he left for good? What she was going to tell their kids? How she was going to tell their children that their daddy wasn't going to be at home anymore to read them a story at bedtime, or to play videogames with the boys and dolls with the girls. Yes, he played dolls. Because all he wanted was to see a smile in their faces, a smile that they proudly carried around, because it wasn't all daddies that played dolls.

She closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose her partner, her husband, the father of her children. Her lover. She knew that she couldn't live anymore without his touch. It was like a drug, once proved, was impossible to get rid of it. All she wanted was to have those strong arms around her again, those lips on hers and his body on hers. Every time they were together it was a new discovery, a new adventure. Even after five children and fourteen years together, their relationship was never boring. It had its fights, it wasn't perfect, but they managed to stay together because they knew that their love was bigger than anything.

"Family of William LaMontagne Jr.?" A doctor dressed in surgery clothes appeared at the waiting room.

_"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action." – Mother Teresa_

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	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much everyone who read, reviewed, followed and favorited this story. We've reached the last chapter and I'm really happy that you enjoyed this. Special thanks to AWChic, IniTiniNini, CMCrazies, kareeenx, lexjl, Jean-Moddalle and Guest :)**

**Answering AWChic's question, yes, Henry is fourteen in this story.**

**Hope you enjoy this last chapter, thanks again!**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

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_"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile." – Unknown_

"I'm his wife." JJ quickly got up with Gregory in her arms, who was now wide awake and with his face cleaned from his sister's joke. Everything was solved after a few minutes of washing his face and of course a little run between the two kids, with Gregory running after his sister with the colored pen.

"I'm Doctor Walker." The Doctor smiled. "Your husband is fine, Mrs. LaMontagne." JJ felt tears of happiness running down her cheeks. Penelope quickly grabbed Gregory from her arms so she could talk to the doctor. "The surgery was touch and go, but he's going to be fine." JJ smiled, wiping the tears from her face. "He went into cardiac arrest and we had to install a defibrillator in his chest to help him on the treatment of his irregular heart rate. But I'm going to explain everything better as soon as he's awake." JJ nodded.

"So, he's out of danger?" JJ asked.

"For now, yes. He has to stay a few day in the hospital so we can monitor his first days with the defibrillator and after that he can go home. He will have a list of precautions he will have to take since now, including a monitoring by a cardiologist, but we can take care of this tomorrow." JJ nodded as Henry approached his mom.

"Can we see him now?" The blonde teenage boy asked and the doctor smiled.

"What's your name, young man?"

"Henry." He smiled.

"Well, Henry, your dad is sleeping right now, he's probably tired and still under the effect of the anesthesia. He has a lot of machines around his body and we have to see if it's not too much for you."

"I can handle it." Henry replied as JJ and the Doctor laughed.

"Ok, buddy, the list of visitors is pretty extensive." JJ said as he looked at his siblings. "We are going to manage it, ok?" Henry nodded. "Which room is he in?" She asked as she turned to doctor.

"325. It the second to the left." As he pointed to the hallway and JJ nodded.

"Thank you." JJ shook the doctor's hand and he smiled.

"You're very welcome. I'll be back in th morning so we can talk properly about everything." JJ nodded and smiled to the doctor as he left.

"See?" Penelope started talking as she extended her arms at JJ's direction. "Everything is going to be fine." The tech hugged her younger friend. JJ nodded as tears of happines felt from her eyes.

"Thank you." JJ whispered. "For everything."

"Oh, buttercup." Penelope gave a step back, wiping the tears from JJ's face. "We've been through so much over the years. You know that we're family and we wouldn't be anywhere else." JJ smiled. She was thankful for having such good friends that truly became family over the years.

"Ok." JJ bent down at the level of the chairs in front of Faith and Rebecca. Gregory was listening to her from Emily's lap as Peyton, who was on Marina's. "Mommy is going in and after a few minutes, Henry is going too. Do you all want to go?" She received four nods. "Ok. After Henry leaves, Rebecca is getting in with Peyton and then Faith in going in with Gregory. We don't want to overwhelm dad." They all nodded again.

"And after you all see dad, I'm taking you all to your home so we can sleep, ok?" Penelope said and JJ sent her a thankful look.

"What about you?" Rebecca asked JJ.

"I'm sleeping here with dad. And tomorrow you can come back." They all nodded, as JJ got up. Emily quickly hugged her friend, kissing her cheek.

"Everything is fine." The older woman reassured the younger once again. JJ nodded as she smiled and walked till the room. She warily opened the door as she almost fainted at the sight in front of her. A machine beeped every time Will's heart beat. He was pale and had an oxygen mask on his face, as an IV in his arm. JJ sat in the chair beside his bed and took his hand into hers. She could fell his pulse and in that moment, there was nothing that could make her happier.

Henry entered a few minutes after JJ. JJ could see that he was trying to hold on himself for everyone, especially for his younger siblings, and she couldn't help but wonder how he was going to break after arriving home. Rebecca and Peyton entered after Henry left, Rebecca kissed his dad's forehead and Peyton draw a heart in his hand with her colored pen, telling JJ that if he was having troubles with his own heart, she was giving another one to him. Faith and Gregory entered for last, they had bought a bunch of balloons from the hospital's store and left in the room for Will. Emily, Marina and Penelope stopped by the door, hugging JJ and leaving a sandwich for her friend.

The blonde happily ate her sandwich, after spending five hours without anything in her stomach. Two more hours passed, the TV remained switched on but JJ's focus wasn't on it, but on the man lying on the bed. JJ's hand remained on his, waiting for a sign that he was waking up and when she less expected, the only moment that she really looked at the TV, she felt her hand been squeezed and she smiled to the sight of those green eyes once again awaken.

"Don't move. Don't talk." She ordered Will as she pressed the button beside his bed. Two nurses and a doctor came to see how he was going; they took off the oxygen mask and checked his heart beat. The doctor explained that the cardiologist was stopping by the next morning to explain everything about the defibrillator and left the couple for the night, letting the warning that the nurses should be called at any change of his state.

"You have no idea how much you scared me." JJ caressed Will's face, tears in her eyes, and Will let out a little laugh.

"Sorry 'bout it." He gave her a small smile and she kissed his hand, not taking it from her lips, feeling his skin. "Kids?"

"They went home a few hours ago." She explained, putting his hand down and caressing it. "They spent the whole afternoon here and as soon as you left surgery, they visited you and went home with Penelope."

"Yeah, I noticed they stopped by." He pointed his head to the balloons as JJ laughed, caressing his leg.

"Peyton left this too." She raised his hand so he could see the piece of art in his body. "She said that since your heart is having some troubles, you can have this one that's pretty strong." Will laughed and shook his head.

"She's one hell of a girl." JJ smiled.

"That's because you didn't even see the moustache she draw in Gregory when he was sleeping." Will laughed again as JJ put her head in his chest; silence filled the room as she focused on hearing his heart beat.

"I may sleep every day from now just hearing this sound." JJ said as Will felt his chest wet.

"JayJay." He said as she turned to stare at him, crying again.

"I really thought I was going to lose you." She shook her head as he put her head between his hands, caressing her cheeks.

"You're not goin' to lose me. I'm not goin' away this easily. I'm not leavin'g you. Not after one hell of a fight." He shook his head as JJ leaned forward and kissed him, their lips touching each others as tears continued to fall from her eyes, happiness controlling her body.

"I love you, so much." Will wiped her tears.

"I love you too, Cher. More than you can imagine." JJ caressed his cheek, smiling. "How are the kids?"

"Scared." JJ put her head in his chest, starring at his green eyes, as he slid his hand through her hair. "It will take some time for them to recover from the shock. Henry is doing his best 'William LaMontagne' and trying to control himself for the youngers." Will laughed, smiling.

"I wanna see them. They need to know that I'm ok." JJ nodded, sitting up.

"Tomorrow. Even if you didn't want to, there's no way that they are going to stay away from you." Will laughed. "But now you should try to get some sleep. You look tired." Will nodded, as JJ slid her hand through his hair.

"Only if you try to get some too. You look like hell." JJ laughed.

"Thank you very much." She said ironically as he brought her face closer one more time.

"I'll be here when you wake up." He reassured her as they broke the kiss.

"You better. Or I'll go after you." Will laughed, kissing her hand. She leaned her head in his chest again and closed her eyes.

"Are you really sleeping over there?" Will asked, sliding his hand through her hair.

"Unless it's hurting you." JJ simply said.

"I don't feel a thing." Will shook his head.

"Then I'm pretty comfortable." She closed her eyes again, quickly falling asleep. His heart beat was like a lullaby for her ears and for her soul. His hand in her hair just made everything become more real. He was back. Back for her. Back to her.

_"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." – Lao Tzu_

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